Importance of Civic Engagement
Instructions: What is the importance of civic engagement (for example, voting, volunteering in the community, engaging in politics, joining groups that advocate for various causes and participating in their activities, and so on) to a society with a republican form of government?
Reference specific ideas from at least three of the assigned readings that illustrate these values. Always name the author whose ideas you are discussing (use the author’s full name the first time you refer to him/her; after that, identify authors by their last names).
Provide in-text citations for all ideas, opinions, and facts derived from the course readings, whether you simply refer to them, paraphrase them (put them entirely into your own words), or quote them. Place the in-text citation at the end of your sentence but before the period that ends your sentence. The in-text citation should give the author’s last name (unless you’ve used it already in your sentence), the year of publication (if known), and the appropriate page number(s) from the reading (if page numbers are used in the online text of the essay). Do not use the title of the reading unless it does not have an author).
Note: Your references list does not count toward your minimum word count.
Follow APA formatting guidelines for your list. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers excellent detailed explanations of APA Format requirements. This is the URL for the Purdue OWL:
The goal of the assignment is not to determine the “right answer.” Students are strongly discouraged from using non-assigned readings in their essay.
Solution.
Importance of Civic Engagement
Civic engagement in a republican society
Many have thought that the different happenings in the American society call for the need to have a functional civic community. With a republican society, the need to have a robust civic community has been deemed an important approach towards ensuring active participation in matters of public interest. A vibrant civic community would ensure people gain more interest in public affairs, taking part in debates that advance common goals (Durlauf, 2000). Civic engagement in a republican society would mean great promotion of obligations and equal rights for all. At the moment, there is a great debate on the issue of immigration. Inasmuch as some sections of this discourse could be right, the issue does not need to be handled in a manner that undermines the rights of a section of people (Durlauf, 2000). In this regard, there should be an empowerment of efforts that can ensure active civic engagements in the American society.
According to Putnam (1996) civic engagements would play a critical role in the development and sustenance of tolerance and trust levels and solidarity among citizens. Having a virtuous society leads to higher levels of trust with and among citizens, making them accountable and helpful to each other. This development would mean that inasmuch as people can differ on ideologies, they can still remain united when it comes to solving common challenges. Ryan (2007), notes that this important element is missing in many countries that do not have mature democracies. It is important to realise that an active civic community is not devoid of conflicts; rather, disagreements are handled in a manner to suggest more trust and value for each other. An active civic community in a republic society would mean increased levels of consultations and dialogue for purposes of advancing common interest (Putnam 1996).
References
Durlauf, S. N. (2000). Bowling alone: A review essay. Madison, WI: Social Systems Research Institute, University of Wisconsin.
Putnam, R. D. (1996). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Ottawa, Ont.: Canada Communication Group.
Ryan M (2007). A moral case against Big Government. Retrieved from <http://heartland.org/sites/all/modules/custom/heartland_migration/files/pdfs/21037.pdf>